The present invention relates to communications systems and more particularly, to a system for preventing theft of cable television services.
Cable broadcast service providers and/or operators transmit a broadcast signal into the homes of their subscribers. The broadcast signal includes a plurality of channels, including UHF channels, VHF channels, in-house programming, etc. and is transmitted over a coaxial cable in the 50-750 MHZ band. Subscribers may purchase different levels or tiers or service, such as a basic service plan and varying upgraded service levels which include one or more premium channels or stations, such as HBO and Showtime. Such premium channels are transmitted as part of the broadcast service to all subscribers, no matter which level of service the customer subscribes. However, the premium channels which the subscriber is not authorized to view are secured by scrambling or other means so that they are not viewable without being unscrambled. A converter box including filters or other decoding circuitry for unscrambling certain scrambled channels is provided to customers subscribing to upgraded service plans.
When filters are employed to secure the premium channels, such filters may degrade over time, thereby allowing unauthorized viewing of the premium channels, without the need for a converter box. Other persons build their own boxes to unscramble premium channels. While such unauthorized viewing of premium channels is illegal, it is difficult to detect. The CATV operators lose large amounts of revenue each year due to such unauthorized viewing of premium and other channels. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a means for preventing such theft of cable services.
The present invention provides a system and method for detecting the reception of cable channels and determining whether the reception of such channels is authorized. An additional benefit of the present invention is the ability to monitor subscriber viewing habits.